John McCain

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News about John McCain, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Jul. 27, 2015

The Upshot; polls that show Donald Trump's standing in Republican field of presidential candidates has remained unchanged in wake of controversial comments about Sen John McCain may be misleading; polls should not be interpreted based on date of release, but rather when polls were conducted. MORE

Jul. 21, 2015

Veterans groups defend Sen John McCain and denounce Republican presidential candidate Donald J Trump following Trump's criticism of McCain's war record; question why Trump would single out veterans’ issues and Vietnam as line of attack when his own record on issue is dicey and he avoided serving in Vietnam through medical deferment. MORE

Jul. 20, 2015

Donald J Trump's widely condemned criticism of Sen John McCain's war record is latest example of pitfalls of his campaign organization, which relies on Trump's own instincts rather than usual protective machinery of advisers; Trump's refusal to apologize despite enormous backlash highlight limitations of his political capacity, and have ended qualms among Republican officials about criticizing him for fear of alienating his supporters. MORE

Jun. 9, 2015

Annual military policy bill on floor in Senate exemplifies how Sen John McCain is attempting to wield chairmanship of Armed Services Committee to advance long-held national security and domestic policy agendas; $600 billion bill would rein in escalating costs while granting increased leeway for military to manage its own programs and expenses; would also fund arms for Ukrainians under attack by Russian-backed separatists. MORE

Jun. 4, 2015

Pentagon is pushing for end to ban on purchasing Russian rocket engines, which was instituted after Russia annexed Crimea; some in Congress like Sen John McCain, one of Russia's fiercest critics, have been angered by request, and some lawmakers have pressed for ending NASA's reliance on Russia for rocket engines. MORE

Apr. 7, 2015

Defense Sec Ashton Carter warns that unless Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal is passed by Congress, America will be locked out of Asian market, unusual foray into world of trade politics by Defense Dept; warning is delivered in speech at McCain Institute at Arizona State University, and in part is meant to curry favor with Sen John McCain, chairman of Senate Armed Services Committee. MORE

Mar. 12, 2015

Editorial scolds Sen John McCain and other Republican lawmakers behind letter to Iran that sought to sow doubts about durability of any nuclear deal with the United States; argues move was gravely irresponsible, and will likely poison relationships with Democrats who might otherwise have supported their opposition; holds by rejecting diplomacy, Republicans have only made an Iranian bomb more likely. MORE

Feb. 9, 2015

Memo from Munich; Sen John McCain and German Chancellor Angela Merkel disagree at Munich security conference on arming Ukrainian troops to oppose Russian aggression; crisis has reignited familiar differences over tactics, born of opposing lessons from Cold War with Soviet Union. MORE

Jan. 14, 2015

Sen John McCain assumes role of Senate Armed Services Committee chairman, dream job for the pro-military Republican and former prisoner of war during Vietnam conflict. MORE

Nov. 9, 2014

Sen John McCain is expected to assume chairmanship of the Senate Armed Services Committee, appointment that would position him to challenge Pres Obama on his handling of overseas conflicts, including war on Islamic State. MORE

Sep. 12, 2014

Senator John McCain is battling persistent, and false, Internet rumors that he not only helped invent Islamic State in Iraq and Syria but also knows its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi after a picture of him with members of Free Syrian Army was misinterpreted and purposely doctored. MORE

Jul. 1, 2014

The Upshot column; Hillary Clinton's artificially inflated poll numbers have made her seem like an especially strong presidential candidate, but the Clinton bubble is quickly coming to an end with falling positive ratings and rising negative ratings over last few weeks; she is seen as intensely polarizing political figure, with most relevant comparison possibly being Sen John McCain. MORE

Jun. 6, 2014

Sens Bernard Sanders and John McCain reach bipartisan accord to give authority to acting Veterans Affairs secretary to fire senior officials and to expand health care access for veterans who do not live near medical facilities or have experienced long waits. MORE

Dec. 22, 2013

Sen John McCain, who was widely considered to be embittered by his failed 2008 presidential bid, has now fashioned himself as a grown-up voice for civility, pragmatism and the best traditions of the Senate. MORE

Sep. 20, 2013

Sen John McCain declares himself to be 'pro-Russian' but delivers blistering attack against Russian Pres Vladimir Putin in combative essay published online; describes Putin as a quasi dictator who presides over a failed petro-state. MORE

Sep. 3, 2013

Obama administration’s push for Congressional approval of attack on Syria appears to have won support of Sen John McCain, one of Pres Obama’s most hawkish critics; McCain says he will back limited strike if president does more to arm Syrian rebels and if attack is punishing enough to weaken Syrian military. MORE

Aug. 19, 2013

Sen John McCain's campaign for immigration overhaul bill faces uphill battle in his home state Arizona, center of fight against illegal immigration; four Republicans in Arizona's nine-member House delegation are adamantly against tackling overhaul with single piece of legislation. MORE

Aug. 7, 2013

Republicans Sen Lindsey Graham and Sen John McCain warn Egypt, during visit there at request of Pres Obama, that United States will cut off aid to country if military-appointed government fails to move rapidly toward democracy; both men have argued that ouster of Pres Mohamed Morsi should be considered coup. MORE

Jul. 24, 2013

Sen John McCain says he is lifting his hold on Gen Martin E Dempsey's nomination for a second term as Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman. MORE

Jul. 19, 2013

Sen John McCain says he intends to block Pres Obama’s nomination of Gen Martin E Dempsey to another two-year term as chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff after testy exchange between men over American action in Syria. MORE

Jul. 11, 2013

Senator Elizabeth Warren and Senator John McCain are sponsoring a 21st-century version of the Glass-Steagall Act from the 1930s, to break up large banks. MORE

Jun. 15, 2013

Editorial holds Pres Obama's decision to begin arming Syrian rebels is measured response to that government's use of chemical weapons; defends Obama's prudence in avoiding more robust American involvement; criticizes politicians like Sen John McCain who have urged deeper action without proposing effective plan. MORE

Jun. 9, 2013

Sunday news programs tend to be dominated by handful of predictably quotable politicians, like Sens John McCain and Richard J Durbin; critics of Sunday programs argue that frequency with which some politicians appear on programs tends to give viewers a false sense of proportion to certain sides of policy debates. MORE

May. 27, 2013

Senator John McCain, who has called for the Obama administration to intervene militarily in Syria, was the first American senator to meet with the rebel fighters. MORE

May. 6, 2013

Attacks on Syria, linked to Israel, stoke debate in Washington about whether American-led airstrikes are logical next step to cripple Pres Bashar al-Assad’s government; Sen John McCain asserts that apparent ease with which Israel struck Syria's missile sites has weakened argument that Syria's air defense system would be major challenge to penetrate. MORE

Mar. 28, 2013

John McCain and Charles E Schumer visit Nogales, Ariz, with two other senators in effort to determine how to better secure border with Mexico and control migration; they are among eight senators working through Congressional recess to shape comprehensive immigration-reform bill that they plan to introduce in April; reality near border is complicated, with communities on both sides bound together in myriad ways. MORE

Feb. 21, 2013

Arizona Republican Sens Jeff Flake and John McCain, who led broad efforts on immigration overhaul in 2007 and then retreated, are back at the center of contentious debate; are part of bipartisan group of eight senators working to produce legislation by end of March 2013. MORE

Feb. 18, 2013

Senators Lindsey Graham and John McCain, two of most outspoken Republican critics of Chuck Hagel's nomination as secretary of defense, say that they will end bid to block his confirmation. MORE

Feb. 16, 2013

Gail Collins Op-Ed column chastises Republican Sens Lindsey Graham and John McCain for their hypocrisy and pettiness in blocking Senate confirmation of Chuck Hagel to Defense Secretary. MORE

Feb. 5, 2013

Several Republican senators, most notably John McCain, say they oppose use of filibuster to block vote on confirmation of former Sen Chuck Hagel as secretary of defense, moving nominee closer to approval. MORE

Jan. 23, 2013

Defense secretary nominee Chuck Hagel sits down to successful private meeting with Sen John McCain of Arizona, Republican leader who poses biggest threat to his Senate confirmation; meeting is promising development in Pres Obama's push to quickly install a new national security team. MORE

Jan. 12, 2013

Chuck Hagel and John McCain, former political allies and close friends, remain estranged as Hagel prepares to enter contentious confirmation hearing to be Pres Obama's secretary of defense; split between the two men began over differences concerning the Iraq War. MORE

Nov. 28, 2012

Senate Republicans Lindsey Graham, Kelly Ayotte and John McCain, after meeting with United Nations ambassador Susan E Rice, signal they will still oppose her if she is nominated for secretary of state; Rice concedes errors in the account of the deadly attack on the American diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, shortly after it occurred in September. MORE

Nov. 27, 2012

Era of bipartisan trio of Sens Joseph I Lieberman, John McCain and Lindsay Graham is ending with retirement of Lieberman in January 2013; senators traveled the world together in support of their policy goals, their views often at odds with their respective parties while securing a place at center of every major foreign policy debate. MORE

Jul. 28, 2012

Group of lawmakers led by Sen John McCain successfully weaken bipartisan legislation that the Obama administration said is crucial to protecting computer systems responsible for operating the nation's critical infrastructure. MORE

Jul. 27, 2012

Sen John McCain appears to have entered a new chapter in his long and multipronged career, throwing off his former reputation as a maverick who bucked his party in order to become a partisan warrior and party stalwart; three years after his stinging loss in the 2008 presidential election left him bitter about politics, McCain has been engaged in nearly every single major issue and is arguably the most active senator. MORE

Jul. 26, 2012

Senators John McCain, Barbara Boxer and Olympia Snowe guest star on an episode of the NBC comedy television series Parks and Recreation. MORE

Jul. 19, 2012

Editorial credits Sen John McCain for defending Huma Abedin, senior aide to Sec of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, against absurd claims by Rep Michele Bachmann and four Republican colleagues that she is part of a Muslim Brotherhood conspiracy to infiltrate the government. MORE

Jul. 14, 2012

Sen John McCain lends support to the United States Anti-Doping Agency in its case against Lance Armstrong, saying the agency follows a fair process that has been authorized by Congress and that it has the right to investigate and bring charges against Armstrong. MORE

Jun. 10, 2012

Steve Schmidt, senior adviser in 2008 to presidential contender Sen John S McCain, has rebounded from role he feared would be career-ending; television commentator and public relations executive now stands as evidence that there may be little cost to being associated with a losing campaign and disastrous political misjudgements, as Schmidt now describes his selection of McCain's running mate Sarah Palin. MORE

May. 20, 2012

Editorial urges Sen John McCain to resume his advocacy of campaign finance reform by supporting a bill in the Senate that would require the timely public disclosure of donors writing checks of $10,000 or more for election ads. MORE

Mar. 29, 2012

Editorial welcomes Sen John McCain's criticism of Supreme Court's Citizen's United decision, but criticizes Congressional Republicans for stubbornly blocking reform, even as their presidential primary is hijacked by special interests; urges lawmakers to follow court's advice by mandating that corporate and wealthy donors fully disclose their identities to the public. MORE

Feb. 20, 2012

Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham speak out in favor of arming the Syrian opposition, laying out series of diplomatic, humanitarian and military aid proposals that would put the United States behind the movement to overthrow Pres Bashar al-Assad; McCain and Graham say rebel fighters deserve to be armed and that helping them take on the Syrian government will aid Washington's effort to weaken Iran. MORE

Jan. 5, 2012

Political Memo; highly choreographed appearance by Sen John McCain to endorse Mitt Romney's presidential campaign is marked by awkwardness and unspoken coolness between the two men; publicity bid, following Romney's narrow victory at the Iowa caucuses, is further hampered by pointed and critical questions from audience members; Romney's public stiffness and lack of warmth is considered a significant impediment. MORE

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July 31, 2015, Friday

First Draft

Donald J. Trump is outpacing former Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida by a margin of two to one in a survey of New Hampshire primary voters. The polling was conducted after Mr. Trump belittled Senator John McCain’s war record.

July 22, 2015, Wednesday

News

Get recommendations from New York Times reporters and editors, highlighting interesting stories from around the web. In this installment, great reads from Jennifer Steinhauer, John Schwartz and others.